Charles f



(No Model.)

0. P. GRATH ER. RAILWAY BRAKE.

No. 541,849. Patented July 2, 1895.

NITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

RAI LWAY-BRAKE.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 541,849, dated July 2, 1895.

Application filed May 11, 189&.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. GRATHER, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of No. 248 West Sixty-seventh street, New York city, New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Brakes,

, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to brakes in general and more particularly to those intended for use upon railway cars and other heavy vehicles where excessive momentum is to be overcome.

With this object in View, my invention consists in providing a suitable frame with a number of brake-shoes and with suitable connections with an operating device, in order that the bearing of the vehicle axles may be transferred from the wheels to the said frame and their load be utilized to depress the said shoes upon the rails, with which construction it will be readily seen that an excessive movement of the frame to overcome the play of the vehicle springs, in the ordinary construc tion, is avoided.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like symbols of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the general construction and arrangement of the brakes with reference to the vehicle wheels. Fig. 2 is an end elevation. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the brake'shoe frame.

Referring now to the drawings, in operating in accordance with my invention, I construct, preferably of metal by casting integral, a series of four angular frames comprising the brace E and the brake-shoes O on the ends thereof. These brake shoes are connected, for rigidity, by bars 0 secured in place by any suitable means such as lugs bored to receive their extremities, and furthermore by lateral braces P to prevent wabbling. The under sides of the shoes I prefer to provide with one or more layers of leather or other similar material to receive the friction of the rails when the device is in operation.

Extending downwardly from the angle of each frame E, and preferably formed integral therewith, is a plate E, through whose upper end and the plate E is formed a vertically elongated slot Gto receive one extremity of Serial No. 510,924- (NO model.)

' an axle B. The lower end of the plate E is provided with braces F and with a pivotal bearing N to receive one end of a lever J having pivotal connection with a link I, which latter turns upon the end of axle B as a bearing and upon the movement of lever J toward a vertical position has a toggle action and forces the shoes 0 down upon the rails. As the lever J is further moved the thrust against the car axle increases and the wheels are finally lifted entirely from the track, bringing the total weight of the car upon the brake-shoes which are resting upon the rails.

To prevent the brake-shoes leaving the track, they are provided with flanges T which bear uponthe sides of the rails when the apparatus is in operative position.

Suitable operative connections, such as a draft rod U are attached to the upper end of the lever J through the medium of a link M and may be operated by means of a lever N and notched segment, as shown.

To enable the brakes being raised from the track after the wheels have become re-seated thereon, link I is provided with a cam K so positioned as to ride beneath a pin L at the upper extremity of the frame E, when the brakes are released. Thus it will be seen-that as the lever J is thrown backward, the cam on link I will be forced beneath the pin L and the brake-shoes and their frames will be supported by the car axles.

Having now described my invention and its method of operation, what I claim is-- 1. The combination with a vehicle of a brake mechanism comprising a frame having brakeshoes and provided with elongated slots to receive the extremities of thevehicle axles and means for depressing the said frame and raising the axles in said slots on the frame as a fulcrum, to transmit the bearing of the axles from the wheels to the frame.

2. The combination with a vehicle of a brake mechanism comprising a frame having brakeshoes thereon and elongated slots adapted to receive the vehicle axles and in which they are adjustable, levers pivoted to portions of the said frame and toggle-links pivoted to the said levers and having connections with the vehicle axles whereby they may act to move the axles in the said slots of the frame to depress the latter.

3. The combination with a vehicle of a brake mechanism comprising a frame having brakeshoes thereon and elongated slots to receive the vehicle axles and in which they are adjustable, levers pivoted to portions of the said frame and toggle links pivoted to the said levers and having connections with the vehicle axles whereby they may act to move the axles in the said slots in the frame to depress the latter, said toggle-links being provided with cams adapted to travel under projections on the brake-frame to raise said frame when the vehicle axles have resumed their normal positions with respect to the road. a

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 10th day of May,

CHARLES F. GRATHER.

W'itnesses:

E. ROSENBERG, O. O. BORNTRUS. 

